Philippine Provinces by Classification Type: Coastal, Landlocked, Island & Metropolitan (Regional Directory)

Browse all Philippine provinces organized by classification type—coastal, landlocked, island, and metropolitan—broken down by Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Includes regional lists, province notes, and related travel guide links for a complete geographic silo.

Philippine Provinces by Classification Type — Complete Regional Directory

This directory organizes all 82 Philippine provinces into four major classification types:

  • Coastal Provinces
  • Landlocked Provinces
  • Island Provinces
  • Metropolitan Provinces

Each classification is broken down by Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao for readability and SEO clarity.

Coastal Provinces (By Region)

Coastal provinces have direct access to the sea, supporting fisheries, maritime trade, and beach tourism.

Luzon Coastal Provinces

Ilocos Region (Region I)

  • Ilocos Norte
  • Ilocos Sur
  • La Union
  • Pangasinan

Cagayan Valley (Region II)

  • Cagayan
  • Isabela
  • Nueva Vizcaya — Landlocked (not included in this category)
  • Quirino — Landlocked (not included in this category)

Central Luzon (Region III)

  • Aurora
  • Bataan
  • Bulacan
  • Pampanga
  • Tarlac — Landlocked (not included in this category)
  • Zambales

CALABARZON (Region IV‑A)

  • Batangas
  • Cavite
  • Laguna — Landlocked (not included in this category)
  • Quezon
  • Rizal — Landlocked (not included in this category)

MIMAROPA (Region IV‑B)

  • Occidental Mindoro
  • Oriental Mindoro
  • Marinduque
  • Romblon
  • Palawan

Bicol Region (Region V)

  • Albay
  • Camarines Norte
  • Camarines Sur
  • Catanduanes
  • Masbate
  • Sorsogon

Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) (Region XIV)

  • Note: Entire Region: Landlocked (not included in this category)

Visayas Coastal Provinces

Western Visayas (Region VI)

  • Aklan
  • Antique
  • Capiz
  • Guimaras
  • Iloilo
  • Negros Occidental

Central Visayas (Region VII)

  • Bohol
  • Cebu
  • Negros Oriental
  • Siquijor

Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)

  • Biliran
  • Eastern Samar
  • Leyte (Northern)
  • Northern Samar
  • Samar (Western)
  • Southern Leyte

Mindanao Coastal Provinces

Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX)

  • Zamboanga del Norte
  • Zamboanga del Sur
  • Zamboanga Sibugay

Northern Mindanao (Region X)

  • Misamis Occidental
  • Misamis Oriental
  • Lanao del Norte
  • Bukidnon — Landlocked (not included in this category)
  • Camiguin

Davao Region (Region XI)

  • Davao del Norte
  • Davao Oriental
  • Davao Occidental
  • Davao del Sur

SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII)

  • Sarangani
  • South Cotabato — Landlocked (not included in this category)
  • Cotabato — Landlocked (not included in this category)
  • Sultan Kudarat

Caraga (Region XIII)

  • Agusan del Norte
  • Surigao del Norte
  • Surigao del Sur
  • Agusan del Sur — Landlocked (not included in this category)

BARMM (Region XV)

  • Basilan
  • Sulu
  • Tawi‑Tawi
  • Lanao del Sur — Landlocked (not included in this category)
  • Maguindanao del Norte
  • Maguindanao del Sur — Landlocked (not included in this category)

Landlocked Provinces (By Region)

Landlocked provinces have no direct access to the sea and are typically agricultural or mountainous.

Luzon Landlocked Provinces

Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)

  • Abra
  • Apayao
  • Benguet
  • Ifugao
  • Kalinga
  • Mountain Province

Cagayan Valley (Region II)

  • Nueva Vizcaya
  • Quirino

Central Luzon (Region III)

  • Tarlac

CALABARZON (Region IV‑A)

  • Laguna
  • Rizal

Visayas Landlocked Provinces

Visayas has no landlocked provinces. All provinces have coastlines.

Mindanao Landlocked Provinces

Northern Mindanao (Region X)

  • Bukidnon

SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII)

  • South Cotabato
  • Cotabato (North)

BARMM

  • Lanao del Sur
  • Maguindanao del Sur

Island Provinces (By Region)

Island provinces are fully surrounded by water and rely heavily on maritime transport.

Luzon Island Provinces

MIMAROPA (Region IV‑B)

  • Marinduque
  • Romblon
  • Palawan

Bicol Region (Region V)

  • Catanduanes
  • Masbate

Visayas Island Provinces

Western Visayas (Region VI)

  • Guimaras

H4: Central Visayas (Region VII)

  • Siquijor

Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)

  • Biliran

Mindanao Island Provinces

Northern Mindanao (Region X)

  • Camiguin

BARMM (Region XV)

  • Basilan
  • Sulu
  • Tawi‑Tawi

Metropolitan Provinces (By Region)

Metropolitan provinces contain or border major urban centers.

Luzon Metropolitan Provinces

National Capital Region (NCR)

  • Metro Manila (metropolitan region, not a province)

CALABARZON (Region IV‑A)

  • Cavite
  • Laguna
  • Rizal

Central Luzon (Region III)

  • Bulacan
  • Pampanga

H3: Visayas Metropolitan Provinces

Central Visayas (Region VII)

  • Cebu

Mindanao Metropolitan Provinces

H4: Davao Region (Region XI)

  • Davao del Sur

Northern Mindanao (Region X)

  • Misamis Oriental

Related Guides & Geographic Resources

Conclusion

Choosing how to explore the Philippines becomes much easier when provinces are organized by classification type. Whether you’re building regional travel hubs, planning eco‑tourism routes, or expanding your geographic silo for TuristasAPilipinas.com, this directory gives you a clear, structured foundation for deeper content development.

By understanding which provinces are coastal, landlocked, island, or metropolitan, you can create more accurate travel guides, stronger SEO clusters, and better‑targeted regional resources. This classification also helps readers navigate the country’s geography with confidence—whether they’re researching destinations, planning itineraries, or comparing regions.